sandwichsaint

Would everybody be happy if we had diagonal red and white stripes?

Sod the name, have they expanded it to 45k in the close season?

Surreal all round. Why use Saints footage when we don't normally take part in these promotions?

Now you've got me! I haven't got a clue *****il I went outside and counted); I ride a standard road triple which I think is 30 or 32 on the smallest cog and on the back I have 25-12. From my experience people ride the big mountains on all sorts of bikes (road/hybrid/MTB/tandem!) and all sorts of gears - big double - compact - triple. The only hard and fast rule appears to be to make sure you go about 3 gears lower than you think you need! I assume this is your first 'real' mountain so no amount of training can really prepare you for it - if you are fit you will get up no problems, if you are half fit you will find it hard and will get between 75% and 95% of the way - if you aren't fit forget it! The mountains are long (if you include the run-in you may well be climbing for nearly two hours), the mountains are steep (Tourmalet prob averages 8% and several kms go into double figure gradients), it is probably going to be hot (this year wasn't, which was an exception; at home you do most of your cycling at somewhere between 16-24 degrees, in France in summer you can expect to cycle in temps of 28-32 or higher), there is also a slight altitude affect in the proper big mountains. But don't let me put you off - if you cycle regularly you will be fine. I am 49, 5'10" and 13-plus stone, I cycled 6 mountains in 6 days this year. For the last couple of years I have cycled at nearly 15 stone which put me at a serious disadvantage speed-wise! This year I noticed a measurable improvement - I still couldn't get anywhere near hard-core amateurs and proper club cyclists but I did move into the coveted best-of-the-rest category and experienced the thrill of regularly passing occasional riders, some older riders, and generally the weak and the lame. I guess this is where your gearing thing comes in - I regularly passed MTB amateurs who were struggling up in their very low gears. In terms of the gears I try and ride wherever possible in my second lowest gear (keeping one in reserve for emergencies); a fine plan that lasts for about 20 minutes - the first big ramp you hit you will be in your lowest gear and if you are anything like me you might be in it for the next 4 or 5 kms depending on gradient. I would say I rode two thirds of AHD in my lowest cog which gives me a forward speed of between 6.5 and 9.5 kms per hour - obviously depending on cadence which can fall below 50 on the steepest sections and goes up to 70 on 'easier' sections. Obviously it all depends where you are in the cycling pantheon - I am a very keen 'weekender' but have never been anywhere near a club or a race (alas, I only really got into it in my forties, i would have loved to have ridden these sort of bikes in my teens and twenties!). For comparison I tend to ride most of my home riding in the middle cog, only using the big cog for downhills and wind behind situations, and I don't tend to use granny very often for local riding. I average around 25/kmh for a 2 hour ride and can travel comfortably at 28-32kmh on the flat at a cadence of 90-94 - anymore than that and my knees start complaining! Good luck next year, you will absolutely love it, let us know how you get on!

Tony Cascarino's biog is excellent, as is the Damned United, and I would agree with those who have recommended Tony Adams. Also check out Matt Rendell's compelling biog of Marco Pantani. I have just read Ned Boulting's 'How I nearly won the yellow jumper', a sideways look at the TDF and an excellent general sports book for anybody interested in the relationship between the media and 'sport'. For a bit of fun holiday reading you can't do better than something by Tim Moore, a genuinely LOL travel writer/everyman. As a sports fan you would love his French Revolutions in which he tackles (and pretty much completes) the whole of the 2000 TDF route; I also read his donkey pilgramage one on the Carmino (?) and that was equally as good.

It's surely: ToKnights gonna be a good, good knight

What a fantastic TDF! Thrills and spills all the way, Voekler was just awesome, the Schleks didn't quite do enough, and Evans a worthy winner. I was lucky enough to go out and see some of it and i guess it's only up close that you get to see the scale of the beast. We rode Isoard last Monday (from the hard side, same way as this year's tour) and it's got to be up with the toughest climbs on the tour. Very long (35 km from Guillestre), very pretty, and very steep over the last 5kms. Tuesday we rode from Guillestre towards the Agnell and rode over 40km of climbing before being hit by some seriously bad weather, we were over 2000m when the weather turned to torrential rain and sleet and we were lucky to get out without anything worse than mild hypothermia after sheltering in a mountain village cafe for a couple of hours. Wednesday was our first day of TDF and we rode Briancon to Montgenevre which was a relatively straightforward 10km at 6.5%, We had a great view but it was the first climb of the day and the racing was very uneventful. Very rapid decent and into the car to beat the traffic across to the Galibier for the Thursday stage. Thursday morning we rode up fromFenny L'Oisans to the top of the Lauterate, absolutely monster crowds. Unfortunately Galibier was shut to bikes so rather than stand for 5 hours to see them turn from Lataurette to Galibier we hacked back to the team car and shot down to Bourg on closed roads, lunch in Bourg then up to a very agreeable Pub/Auberge on the Vaujany road to watch the stage on the big screen with about 200 others .... what a stage to watch in a group .... Andy's attack on isoard, Evans getting no help at all with the chase .... Voekler's heroics ..... Frank mugging everybody at the finish. Then to cap a great day, back into Bourg and we rode Alpe D'Huez in the evening heat. Riding ADH was the highlight of the week, monstrous first 3km, then pretty big in the middle, and a very long steep finish too. Awesome atmosphere all the way up with whole villages and fan clubs camping out, each with their own van-sized sound system. Nipper up in 1 hr 10min and I was delighted with my 1hr 33min too! Another awesome decent (top speed 68kmh). Thursday night we partied in Bourg, Friday morning nipper rode up to Dutch corner early doors; Mrs Sandwich and I walked up to number 19 and spent the whole day people watching, eating, sunbathing and chilling. A really great week if you like bikes, beer, great wine, great food, big mountains, and ogling the wall-to-wall Euro-totty .... highly recommended!

Hoogerland was massively lucky to miss the concrete posts and 'only' land on the barbed wire. Back on his bike in under two minutes .. who says footballers are over-paid Jessys?

This .. Leeds, West Ham, Millwall, Cardiff, Battery Chuckers, add in Forest and Brighton; I for one will be disappointed if the 'netting' isn't featured at least once on the Nine O'Clock News.

Burnley = proper football club. Howe was never going to jump from Bompey to PL; suggest he's at a decent club now and that he may well end up in PL (if Jonny Foreigner doesn't get there first). Saints fans (on here)... so much bitterness ... just enjoy what we are doing ... are people really sooooh eaten up by what Bournemouth and Boscombe's ex manager may or may not be doing? I rarely give him a second (or twentysecond) thought.

Of course it has .... and you think people who were dealing in the sort of stuff they were dealing in couldn't get round a simple internet band?

http://zonein.tv/7351745 Live Eurosport coverage here for anybody office-bound (or just listen to the chat TMS stylee).

Don't think Evans has the team to win it (though the lads done good for him yesterday) and he's probably too defensive as well. Contador probably carrying a bit of a hangover (no pun intended) from the Giro, it's a massive feat to win both in the same year but I certainly wouldn't write him off yet; he has the ability to take minutes from his rivals in the big mountains. If Contador hits his straps there's only really Schleck that can stay with him on a consistent basis. Agree, Cav has got it all to do from where he is but that can change quickly under the new format, if he were to win both today he would be right back in it.

Great start, so many in the mix this year and Contador losing time in the first couple of days has really opened it up. Can't wait to get out there for the last week!

Sajs's last minute screamer away at Watford, not sure if it counts tho cos he was half decent? Looking at the thread title I'm pretty sure Niemi and Beattie don't belong in here! Didn't Lloyd James score a 25-yarder away at Brentford a couple of years ago or am I dreaming that one?

Another tale of woe: I haven't received any reminder or notification that my sub was about to expire. On Tue evening this week (21st) I went to post and received the message 'you are not a member, you have exceeded your 3 posts a day etc'. I then went and paid my outstanding sub on paypal on Thu 23rd ... I looked at my online banking today to see that I had also paid Saints Web a fiver on the 14th June. How queer! Why if I had automatically renewed on the 14th was I barred from posting on the 21st? Please can you forward my second fiver to the Marcus Flag thing, thanks.

My nipper has just finished his 2nd year at L'boro and one of his housemates has landed the all-time Saints-Web fantasy-gap-year-job. I kid you not - he is going to Germany for a year to 'research and design football kits' for Adidas. This ultimate non-job involves measuring, testing and researching new and match-worn kit 'up to and including Bundesliga level'. He will also be playing around on the football version of MS Paint designing new colour schemes and combos. And, horror of horrors, some hands on research actually kicking a football about while wearing said designs; all in the name of testing for feel and cut and wearability. Gecko and The 9, eat your hearts out! My nipper’s reward for two really good years in civil engineering is a twelve month placement at one of Europe’s largest waste water treatment plants, or as you and I might know it, Beckton sewage works….. no sour grapes there then.

Extra zero in there ... Season Tickets £550 - £800 (tho there appear to some on here that would pay 5k for a ST or to see Saints in a bigger ground or in the CL).

Avg gate = 32k Prices = Season ticket £5050 - £800, Matchday £35 -£50 Prediction - Saints will get to the CL (scoff), before they get a new or bigger ground.

Any one think we should spand the farm on Ben Watson? Very tidy player - he could be our Matty Holland for years to come.

Remember we had a bit of a thread on this last year. I'm going to the Alps for a week with eldest and we are cycling 5 big days and seeing 3 stages. Monday, Col d'Isoard Tuesday, Col d'Agnelo (France to Italy) Europe's third highest road pass Wednesday, tour viewing on Col D'Montgenevre and Col de Sestriere Thursday, tour viewing on Galibier Friday, tour viewing on Alpe d'Huez Hoping for a much better showing from Wiggins this year -he certainly seemed to be back to where he should be on the Dauphine. Anybody on here going out to any of the TDF?

Peter Rodrigues played in the 1969 cup final: Leicester 0-1 Man City (Neil Young), but that's not 10 years before....?

Interests outside Saints? Surely not? Hockey: currently umpiring at a pretty mediocre level, formerly played at a reasonable level, and have coached at a very good level. Cricket: played at village level for a number of years, then self and Mrs Sandwich built a colts section from scratch to a club with 10 junior teams over a number of years; now enjoying watching the first team cricket where a side with seven of 'our' former colts have gone through 5 promotions in 7 seasons and have gone from nowhere to County league. Golf: I'd like to play more but time and opportunity are limited. Play a few rounds and I get to a competent standard then I don't play for the next 6 months (last time I played was in Newquay on cricket tour in August 2010); coincidently I'm playing at Prince's next week, whic will be all tricked up ready for Open qualifying .. better take an abacus and a bag of spare balls for that one. Skiing: skied a couple of times as a nipper then nothing for 20 plus years: got back into it via my own kids and have been once or twice a year for the past 5-6 years, this was the first year I hadn't been for a number of years. Not very good (not fit enough!) but I do enjoy it at my own level (brillant on blue, competent on red, hanging in thereack, off piste? Don't even go there). My first love (after Mrs S of course) would have to be biking which I've really grown into over the last 10-15 years. I have a half decent MTB and a perfectly decent road bike. Try and ride between 100-200km a week and have started doing a week at the TDF for the last three years. Awesome! Going to the Alps this year and we are aiming for 5 big days on the bike including three days watching mountain stages. Meanwhile back in the real world, family. missus and two lads 23 and 21: lots of work, lots of wine; hate housework and all things DIY.

A favourites X1: ............................ Eric Martin ........................ Telfer ....... Richards .......... Watson .........Bridge Walcott ....... Williams ...... Oakley ............ CMFG ................ Pahars ......... Channon ................. On the bench: Shilts! Golac Killer Ball MLT Worthington Davies R Manager L McMenemy Not the 'best' X1, just a bunch of players I've enjoyed watching over the years, but still a side good enough to hold its own in the top half of the Prem I would suggest?

This is pretty much the impression I've had since day one; let's hope he listens to his mum more than his dad!